Politics of US Environmental regulations on drilling, pipelines, Essay

Politics of US Environmental regulations on drilling, pipelines, refineries - Essay Example In the background part, the overview of the drilling process, oil drilling types, and key environmental considerations is given. It is followed by the analysis of the US oil reserves and resources, with regards to the variety of opinions about them (from optimistic to pessimistic). One of the central issues of the US drilling politics is the regulation of further offshore drilling. In this light, two alternative viewpoints are being examined: the first is â€Å"pro-drilling†, advocating the expansion of existing offshore drilling initiatives, based on such arguments as the state energy independence and job opportunities. The second is â€Å"pro-regulation†, critical about the progression of offshore drilling and about the impact of oil drilling in general, supported by environmental considerations and economic analysis. Key governmental documents are being examined in connection with these two tendencies. In this paper, we support the sustainable development view that e conomic and social needs should always be balanced with environmental considerations; that is why, little support is given to the dangerous industrial plans of oil explorations and development, but the existing objections are also being approached cautiously. Oil Drilling Process The Procedure of Oil Exploration and Development Oil resources are found in various environments. They are classified according to these environments into onshore and offshore crude oil resources. This distinction is politically significant, as offshore drilling accounts for most of the US oil recoveries: for instance, in 2009, IHS estimated that deepwater offshore oil discoveries were 6 times bigger (as measured by barrels) than the onshore discoveries (IHS, Role of Deepwater Production in Global Oil Supply). Exploration and development of the onshore crude oil is technically different from that of the offshore oil; hence, they will be described separately. It takes several stages for the oil resource (tha t is, â€Å"the total amount of oil in place, most of which can’t be recovered†) to become the oil reserve, or â€Å"the amount of oil that can be recovered economically with existing technology† (Rapier). Roughly sketched, these stages involve: Geologic and geophysical prospecting (the analysis of the potential place for well) Exploratory drilling (making drills, logging, and different analyses of the reservoir) (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 69-82) Primary drilling (usually commercially inefficient) (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 84) Secondary and tertiary, or enhanced, recovery (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 85). Later, the oil has to be separated from gas and water; it also has to undergo other preparatory procedures before being transported for commercial, communal, and industrial use. It is important that scientific exploration of the oil reservoirs also involves drilling; it continues 2 to 6 mont h and has the success rate (meaning the discovery of profitable reservoirs) of approximately 25% (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 76). This means that noise and damage to soil and local ecosystems on the stage of exploration affect 5 times more territory than that for later oil development. Offshore exploratory drilling also requires land use for meteorological and diving stations? (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 77). The very recovery of oil from the reservoir is possible due to the difference in pressures, as it is shown on the picture 1 (from Centre for